Pakistan implements new media laws

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan on Wednesday implemented a new set of media laws amid protests from journalist bodies and rights associations.

President Asif Ali Zardari assented to the much-debated amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, which deals with the country’s cybercrime laws, a statement from his office said.

The development comes a day after the upper house, the Senate, passed the amendments. The legislation had already sailed through the lower house - the National Assembly - last week.

While the journalist bodies, rights groups, including Amnesty International, and the opposition term the laws “attack on freedom of expression,” the government insists the legislation is aimed at countering “fake news.”

Journalists held nationwide rallies on Tuesday to denounce the law, which seeks to penalize perpetrators of “fake news” online, and one, if found guilty, may face up to three years in jail, and a fine of up to Rs 2 million ($7,168), or both.

“We totally reject the legislation, which is aimed at stifling the freedom of speech and voice of dissent in the name of fake news," said Sohail Afzal, the secretary of Karachi Press Club.

Speaking to Anadolu, he said the journalist bodies themselves are against the dissemination of fake news, and there was no need for the introduction of new legislation as the existing laws are “enough to deal with such issues.”